Device for making building blocks



y 1957 R. L. ALTSCHULER 2,792,614

DEVICE FOR MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 6, 1953 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. ALTSCHULER BY AW'URMJ') May 21, 1957 R. L. ALTSCHULER DEVICE FOR MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 6, 1953 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. ALTSCHULER United States ate This invention relates to improvements in machines for making building block constructions particularly adapted for prefabricated type structures.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a machine for manufacturing building blocks of the above type.

"It is still another object of the present invention to provide a machine for making a building block construction in which it is possible to avoid the use of nails, screws, bolts or other types of metal fastening members and is instead adapted to be assembled with the use of plastic cement or other suitable adhesive.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a building block made by a machine embodying the features of the present invention shown in Fig. 3.

:Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of a molding machine embodying the invention adapted to make the block of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view thereof looking from the left of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view thereof looking from the right of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the mold portion of the machine shown in an open position.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the mold portion of Fig. 7 but shown in a closed position.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a building block constructed by a machine embodying the present invention, said block being referred to collectively as 10. 'It will be seen that this building block 10 consists of a rectangular slab having a Vertical rear face 11, vertical ends 12 and a forwardly and downwardly sloping front face 13, the lower edge of the front face 13 extending downwardly below the bottom face 14 (Fig. 2).

The building blocks 10 are made up of sand and plastic.

The ends 12 are provided with vertical, dovetailed grooves 15 adapted to be aligned with corresponding dovetailed grooves in the ends of the adjacent building blocks.

The top edge 16 of the block 19 is integrally formed with a pair of upwardly extending, substantially cylindrical projections 17, while the bottom edge 14 is provided with substantially cylindrical cavities 18 aligned vertically with and adapted to receive therewithin the projections 17. Thus, the blocks 10 may be mounted ice upon each other with the projections 17 of one block entering the cavities 18 of the block directly above. The edges 16 and 14 may be secured together by a suitable plastic cement.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 3 to 8, there is shown a machine adapted to produce the block of Fig. 1. While this machine is shown as producing one of the blocks 10 during each cycle, it will be readily understood that the mold portion thereof can be enlarged to construct an entire panel in one casting without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, where windows will be required, the mold can be modified to produce the panels in two halves, each having a cooperating window opening so that the window can be slipped between the two halves and the panel cemented together. Window frames, door frames and moldings could also be cast right into the panels, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This machine, while primarily intended for use in producing the plastic building components of Figs. 1 and 2, may also be used to manufacture plastic castings for other purposes by merely changing the proportions of the different plastics employed. For example, aircraft control surfaces, aircraft wings, fuselage components,

automotive door units, automotive body components and furniture bases may also be produced.

A rectangular supporting surface 20 has secured thereto a triangular bracket 21 at each side, the free ends of the brackets 21 having laterally bent portions 22 secured to the surface 20 by means of bolts 23. For strength, the brackets 21 are of L-shaped cross-section.

The apex portions of the brackets 21 are provided with flat sections 24 having bearing openings for a purpose which will hereinafter become clear.

A box-shaped frame 25 fits between the brackets 21 in freely spaced relation thereto, the top longitudinal edges 26 of the frame being provided with angle brackets 27 having bearing openings aligned with the hearing openings in the fiat portions 24 and permitting the frame 25 to be rotatably mounted therebetween by means of bolts 28 and nuts 29. Spacers 30 are provided intermediate the brackets 27 and the fiat portions 25.

Reinforcing beams 31 connect the sides of the brackets 21, a panel 32 being provided above the frontmost beam 31 for the purpose of mounting controls to be referred to hereinafter more in detail.

As a means of imparting a rocking motion to the frame 25, a motor 33 is mounted on the supporting surface 20 below the frame 25 and rotates a wheel 34 through a speed reducer 35. Rocking motion of the frame 25 is effected by a connecting arm 36 pivotally connected at its upper end to the frame 25 by means of a pin 37 and pivotally connected at its lower end to the periphery of the Wheel 34 by means of a pin 38.

Longitudinally aligned bearing brackets 39 are provided at each end of the frame 25 at the top thereof.

The mold 48 (Fig. 7), shaped so as to produce the block of Fig. 1, is provided at its end walls 41 with hollow trunnions 42 which are rotatably mounted within the bearing brackets 39, permitting the mold 40 to be rotated about its longitudinal axis.

As a means of rotating the mold 40, a motor 43 is mounted on a supporting plate 44 at one corner of the frame 25 and serves to rotate a pulley 45 through a speed reducer 46. A pulley 47 is provided at the end of one of the trunnions 42 and is connected to the pulley 45 by means of a belt 48.

The mold 40 includes a bottom wall 50 (Fig. 7) having pour openings 51, the side wall 52 being formed at right angles to the bottom wall 50. The other side wall 53 is flared away from the side wall 52 and extends upwardly beyond the top edge of side wall 52. Dovetail groove forming elements 54 are provided on the inner facesof the end walls 41. and serve to impart the dovetailed grooves to the blocks 10.

A cover 55 having a stepped portion 56 is connected to the top of side wall 53 by means of hinges 57, the step portion 56 cooperating with the remaining portion of the mold when in the closed position to provide the downwardly extending portion of the front face 13 of the blocks 10. End walls 57 prevent escape of material from the mold when the latter is closed.

U-shaped locking members 58 are carried by the free edge of the cover 55 and cooperate with pivoted elements 59 whereby to lock the cover in the closed position.

High resistance heating wires 60 are secured to the outer-faces of the mold 40 whereby to heat the interior thereof, current being supplied to the wires 69 by commutator slip-rings 61 and brushes 62 (Fig. 3).

An ejector plate 63 is provided on the inner face'of bottom wall 50, the ends of the plate 63 being slidably mounted through the wall 50 and having upper stops 64 (Fig. 3) whereby to' limit the displacement of the ends of the plate 63 while permitting the center thereof to be flexed. A cylinder 65 is secured above the plate 63. and mounts a piston, not shown, which moves against the plate 63 during the ejection operation. A compressed air line 66 extends upwardlyalong the bracket 21 (Fig. 4), having a flexible portion 67 and enters the trunnion 42. The air line continues outwardly from the trunnion 42, as at 68, where it is connected to a two-way valve 69, the valve 69 being connected with the top and bottom of cylinder 65 by means of air lines 79 and 71 (Fig. 3). Thus, by controlling the valve 69 the piston within cylinder 65 may be brought downwardly'onto the ejector plate 63 or upwardly therefrom, as desired.

The pour holes 51 are provided with hollow cylindrical portions 72 extending outwardly from the wall 59 and provided with covers, not shown. The extensions 72 are cooled by means of water coils 73. A water inlet 74 continues along the bracket 21 alongside the air inlet 66 and is connected to a waterline 75 by means of a flexible portion 76 (Fig. 4). The Water line 75 enters the other trunnion 42 from whence it is conducted to the coils 73. A water slinger ring 77 is provided for waste water. A waste water line 78 extends from the ring 77.

Suitable switches, not shown, are connected in series with the motors43; aiid 33 and the high resistance heating wires 60' and will be mounted on the panel 32.

In operation, a mold release agent is put on the inside of the mold 40 and a mixture of phenolic resin powder or liquid is introduced into the mold and heated. The mold is rotated, simultaneously oscillating back and forth. The speed of rotation and oscillation are such as to allow the powder or liquid resin to coat evenly the entire inner surface of the mold. Proper heat is applied for this type of plastic, which is brought to the gelled state (or cured state, if necessary). Due to the Water cooling over the pour holes, no plastic will cure over these holes. Next, a mixture of phenolic resin and chopped Fiberglas strand is introduced into the mold and the mold further rotated, rocked and heated, bringing the plastic to the gelled stage. Next, a mixture of phenolic resin and sand, sawdust or other extender is poured into the mold, and the latter is rota-ted, rocked and heated until the casting is built up to sufi'icient thickness and strength for the job for which it is intended. The mold is brought up to final curing temperature, after which it is cooled somewhat and the remaining void in the casting is filled with foamed phenolic resin. The cover 55 will be opened to permit the block to be ejected by the cylinder 66 acting on the ejector plate 63.

The mold 40 will be constructed of any suitable heat conducting material that can withstand the high curing temperature and which will be sufficiently strong to maintain the close tolerances necessary in the finished casting.

The mold rotation is slow'enough to permit the plastic material to slide around inside the mold to coat it evenly. At the same time this rotation is fast enough so that the plastic is not cured or gelled before it has a chance to distribute itself evenly around the inner walls of the mold. The plastic mixtures are mixed externally of the mold in a mixing machine and poured into the pour openings 51 through the cylindrical extensions72. The extensions 72 and their covers, not shown, are water-cooled so that the plastic does not stick to this portion of the mold, leaving the holes open for future pourings for the same casting. The mold rotation is, of course, stopped while pouring. The mold carrier frame 25 and mold 40 are indexed to bring the pouring holes under pouring chutes for the pouring operation. This indexing may be accomplished by means of micro-switches and cams, not shown, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. These micro-switches will, of course, be bypassed during normal running of the machine.

The entire mold must, of course, be uniformly heated and means must be provided to control the temperature in accordance with the requirements of the various phases of manufacture. The high resistance wires-66 represent the most convenient form, the power being brought in by the brushes 62 and the slip-rings 61. An adjustable thermostat, not shown, is provided on the mold to control the temperature thereof. 7 i The hinged cover 55 provides access for removal of the finished casting. The air cylinder 65 is also provided for ejecting the casting. The cylinder 65 works against the plate 63 which distributes the ejecting force overalarger area soas not to damage the casting. The ends of the ejecting plate 63 have travel limit stops 64 arranged so that the ends of the plate reach their limit before the center of the plate, thus flexing the plate and permitting the casting to be readily removed in an obvious manner.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructionherein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modific'atio'ns'comin'g within'thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby United States Letters Patent is: e

1. A machine for making plastic bonded building blocks comprising a mold adapted to impart the desired shape to the casting, said mold having pour openings at one side, one sideof said mold being hingeably connected thereto to permit ejecting of the casting, means for releasably locking said hingeably connected side to the remainder of the mold, ejector plate means provided within said mold onthe side oppositely disposed from said hinged side,-air compression means for moving said ejector plate, means for rotatably mounting said mold for rotating about its longitudinal axis, means for mounting said mold for rocking action about its center, electric heating means for heating said mold, said mold at opposite ends on the inner faces thereof'having dovetail groove forming members, said hinged side having a plurality of longitudinally spaced extensions adapted to impart cavities to the underside of the casting, said mold on the side opposite ,said hinged sidehaving pour openings aligned with said extensions, hollow extensions extending outwardly from said mold about said pour openings, covers for said extensions, and means for cooling said extensions. and covers.

- 2. A machine for making plastic bonded building blocks comprisinga mold adapted to impart the desired shapeto the casting, said mold having pour openings at pne side, one side of said mold being hingeably connected thereto to permit ejecting of the casting, means for releasably locking said hingeably connected side to the remainder of the mold, ejector plate means provided within said mold on the side oppositely disposed from said hinged side, air compression means for moving said ejector plate, means for rotatably mounting said mold for rotating about its longitudinal axis, means for mounting said mold for rocking action about its center, electric heating means for heating said mold, said mold at opposite ends on the inner faces thereof having dovetail groove forming members, said hinged side having a plurality of longitudinally spaced extensions adapted to impart cavities to the underside of the casting, said mold on the side opposite said hinged side having pour openings aligned with said extensions, hollow extensions extending outwardly from said mold about said pour openings, covers for said extensions, means for cooling said extensions and covers, said electric heating means comprising high resistance wires provided in the walls of said mold, and means for supplying current to said high resistance wires.

3. A machine for making plastic bonded building blocks comprising an elongated mold adapted to impart the necessary shape to the cast building block, one side of said mold being hingeably mounted thereby to permit ejection of the casting, releasable means for locking said hinged side to the remainder of said mold, said mold on the inner surface thereof at opposite ends having groove forming members, said hinged side on the inner face thereof having a plurality of longitudinally spaced extensions adapted to impart cavities to the adjacent face of the casting, the side of said mold directly opposite from said hinged side having a plurality of longitudinally spaced pour openings aligned with said extensions, an ejector plate intermediate said pour openings, air compression means for actuating said ejection plate, the outer face of said mold having said pour openings having hollow extensions and removable covers, hydraulic means for cooling said extensions and covers, said mold at opposite ends having hollow trunnions, a frame, bearing brackets at opposite ends of said frame rotatably mounting said trunnions, means for imparting rotary motion to said mold about the longitudinal axis thereof, said frame at its midpoint being rotatably mounted, means for imparting a rocking motion to said frame, and electrical heating means for said mold.

4. A machine for making plastic bonded building blocks comprising an elongated mold adapted to impart the necessary shape to the cast building block, one side of said mold being hingeably mounted whereby to permit ejection of the casting, releasable means for locking said hinged side to the remainder of said mold, said mold on the inner surface thereof at opposite ends having groove forming members, said hinged side on the inner face thereof having a plurality of longitudinally spaced extensions adapted to impart cavities to the adjacent face of the casting, the side of said mold directly opposite from said hinged side having a plurality of longitudinally spaced pour openings aligned with said extensions, an ejector plate intermediate said pour openings, air compression means for actuating said ejection plate, the outer face of said mold having said pour openings having hollow extensions and removable covers, hydraulic means for cooling said extensions and covers, said mold at opposite ends having hollow trunnions, a frame, bearing brackets at opposite ends of said frame rotatably mounting said trunnions, means for imparting rotary motion to said mold about the longitudinal axis thereof, said frame at its mid point being rotatably mounted, means for imparting a rocking motion to said frame, electrical heating means for said mold, said water cooling means comprising coils surrounding each of said extensions, a water inlet line entering one of said hollow trunnions and connected with said water coils, a water slinger ring mounted on the other of said hollow trunnions, a water outlet line connected to said water slinger ring, said air compression means comprising a cylinder having a piston adapted to abut an ejector plate within the mold, and an air line entering the other of said hollow trunnions and connected with said piston at the top and bottom thereof by means of a two-way valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 22,913 Wells Sept. 9, 1947 790,214 Locke May 16, 1905 930,455 Besser Aug. 10, 1909 970,904 Fenske Sept. 20, 1910 1,140,785 Williams May 25, 1915 1,516,710 Caputo Nov. 25, 1924 1,799,529 Poetsch Apr. 7, 1931 1,900,833 Maul et a1 Mar. 7, 1933 2,092,027 Schwartzwalder et a1. Sept. 7, 1937 2,227,756 Kirkham Jan. 7, 1941 2,392,551 Roe Jan. 8, 1946 2,449,458 Dryden Sept. 14, 1948 2,480,477 Jones Aug. 30, 1949 2,535,180 Watson Dec. 26, 1950 2,583,818 Cihlar Jan. 29, 1952 

